FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7/18/09

$100,000 NORM BARRON QUEEN CITY OAKS TO SLIDES CHOICE

Slides Choice stamped herself as the leading 3-year-old filly in Ohio with an authoritative victory in the $100,000 Norm Barron Queen City Oaks at River Downs on Saturday.  Last year's champion 2-year-old in the state is trained by Tim Hamm who warned his rider about one bad habit she has.  "She tends to wait on horses really bad," he told Hector Rosario, Jr. "She only runs as fast as she has to, so don't sprint out there because she'll start waiting on horses."

Rosario heeded instructions at the start of the 1 1/8 mile test on a fast main track, but it didn't change her style.  Longshot Birdrock was allowed to go to the front and after a quarter of a mile in a slow 26.20 seconds, Slides Choice began to easily overtake her and continued a leisurely pace. "It felt as though she was not really trying, she was totally relaxed," said Rosario, who was riding the filly for the first time. "Like Tim said, after she got the lead she started waiting for company and when that filly (Honey Be Fleet) came to her she just took off. It was hard to pull her up. She wanted to go around again!"

Honey Be Fleet, the expected pacesetter lost her game plan at the start of the race when she had to steady and was forced to the back of the field. She did come within a half length of the winner around the final turn, but was no match in the stretch.  Honey Bee Fleet, who suffered her first defeat in the Oaks was 3 ½ lengths behind Slides Choice at the wire and 2 ¼ lengths in front of stakes-winning Gathering Dreams.  The final time for the 9 furlongs was 1:58.20.

Sent away as the odds-on favorite, Slides Choice paid $2.60, $2.10 and $2.10.  Honey Be Fleet returned $3.40 and $3.00, while Gathering Dreams had a show payoff of $3.40.